GENEVA – After being open seven days a week for 35 years, the owners of health food store Soup to Nuts, at 716 W. State St. in Geneva, announced they will close on Oct. 31.

"We are retiring," said Craig Carmany, who owns the store with his wife, J.R. Camany. "J.R. will continue with her healing practice, HealthWise Holistic."

Soup to Nuts, known as a resource for alternative products, holistic health and organic produce, announced the closure in its current newsletter.

"It was with a heavy heart that J.R. and Craig Carmany made the hard decision due to the changing landscape of retail health food stores," the newsletter states, in part.

When the Carmanys took over the store in 1990, Soup to Nuts was the only place to find alternatives – such as gluten-free bread or non-dairy milk products. Products that were once unique at Soup to Nuts are now commonplace, the newsletter states.

For example, the store had a whole aisle of milk alternatives because there was nowhere else to go for them. Now, that is reduced to a four-foot section, according to the newsletter.

"We can't compete on the retail level any longer, but we can still have a significant impact on both individual health and the education of the community," the newsletter states.

While the store's merchandise became more commonplace, large chains still could not compete with the Carmanys' training in how to help individual customers with their personal interest in health, according to the newsletter.

To educate the community about various health matters, Soup to Nuts began offering classes and workshops on topics ranging from climate awareness and organic gardening to chakra clearing, meditation and the raw food diet. Though the store is closing, the Carmanys reported they believe they accomplished a goal of educating consumers about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

J.R. Carmany was unavailable for comment Monday, but she is quoted in the newsletter as saying, "we've educated people. We have been ahead of the health trends all these years. We have taught classes. We have been a resource on both information and practitioners."

The store also began hosting the Fox Valley Holistic Health Celebration for six years, pulling the holistic and alternative community together, the newsletter states.

Craig Carmany said it was not possible to sell the business because of a lack of potential buyers.

"This is a specialized type of thing, and [it is] difficult to find people who can do this stuff – the things we do," Craig Carmany said.

With the closing of the store, J.R. Carmany will be more available for her clients, working out of temporary locations in Geneva and Batavia while seeking a more permanent location.

Robert Langeness of Geneva said he was saddened to hear of the store's impending closing.

"It will be a major loss for Geneva," Langeness said. "I bought things there, and they are very, very helpful people. I witnessed many a time – they took you as a customer, not a number. I'm so sorry to hear that they are closing."